Medio Ambiente y Urbanización is an open access Journal. It was founded in 1983 to encourage researchers, NGO staff and other professionals to write about their work and to exchange ideas. An English language sister journal, Environment and Urbanization was set up in 1989. The two journals have similar editorial policies and some shared content – with Medio Ambiente y Urbanización focusing mainly on Latin America while Environment and Urbanization covers all regions of the world.

New edition of our sister journal Medio Ambiente y Urbanizacion is now available online https://t.co/9zgvWoaNpOMedio Ambiente y Urbanización is an open access journal that focuses mainly on urban issues in Latin America. pic.twitter.com/6vrgBGd61l

Questions
Where can I find your information stands and kiosks?
Where can one travel on public transport within an hour of the city?
Where can one rent a bicycle?
Do you have a city guide available for my smartphone?
Bioregional focus – Where does the water come from? What is the water supply?

Quotes
“We hold the principle that only a city that is good for its people can be good for its visitors. A city that is safe and healthy for its people is safe for its visitors. A city that is enjoyed by its people can be enjoyed by its visitors. If you believe in this principle, then we can see tourism as a force to rejuvenate cities and infrastructure, boost trade and commerce, and enhance economic activities in cities. We see tourism as an igniter of many activities within the city.”UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in Metropolis Magazine

Developers on the whole tend to look at success modeled in other cities and then import them rather than trying to figure out something fresh that makes sense for their particular situation. You really have to look at the local conditions and ask what makes sense in terms of quality of life.
– Arizona State University design professor John Meunier , Urban Planning and Climate Change

China, like several other countries, is exploring the creation of sustainable urban areas, or “ecocities” as they are known. Around the world, ecocities are beginning to emerge from the drawing board, from Masdar City in Abu Dhabi to PlanIT Valley in Portugal. Aimed at being the world’s largest of its type, Tianjin Eco-city is a collaborative project between the Chinese and Singaporean government that will house 350,000 people in a low-carbon, green environment around half the size of Manhattan by 2020. All going well, the team hope its model for building a sustainable city will provide the blueprint for future urbanization efforts in China, and other countries.China’s eco-cities: Sustainable urban living in Tianjin

Recommended listeningThe power of the city – Would we be better served by refocusing our social, political and economic energies toward the city, rather than the nation?

Rewriting the Book? – RSA hosts a discussion on the ways that city regeneration can enhance economic competitiveness, community cohesion and a sense of place. We bring together an expert panel to discuss the regenerative potential of large culture-led development schemes. What are the key drivers of social renewal and the development of enterprise and how can cities ensure transformational change is community-driven, allowing greater local ownership and participation?

The importance of parks – How far would you have to walk from where you are now to get to the nearest park? And when you got there what type of experience would that open public space afford you?

Cities – RadioLab – There’s no scientific metric for measuring a city’s personality. But step out on the sidewalk, and you can see and feel it. Two physicists explain one tidy mathematical formula that they believe holds the key to what drives a city.

Green Cities – By 2030, two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities. How do we build green cities and overcome the barriers to sustainable urban design?

The value of green space – As our cities continue to spread there’s increasing pressure on the number of parks and other green spaces. But what are the benefits of urban green spaces when it comes to biodiversity? And what impact do they have on our physical and mental health?

Boom cities of Asia – Competition to achieve global city status has had a profound effect on many booming Asian cities including Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai. But how resilient are these cities to the risks they face? How can they manage continuing pressures for development and growth while reducing their vulnerability to a range of potential crises?

Cities – One of the popular themes at this year’s Adelaide Festival of Ideas was Architecture, Planning and Urban Design. The issue of what to do with our urban environments to cater for increasing populations and the need to reduce our cities’ carbon footprints is one that’s been talked about for years and will be discussed into the future.

Living in the city – Architects working in Australia and China explore how our cities can be better designed.

Recommended ReadingThe Urban Agenda – An overview of the international urban debate since 1976 by Daniel Biau, a UN manager and expert who has been part of the process along the way. “Contrary to a prevalent view, the urbanization process of the developing world has been less chaotic than expected by the media. Many countries are managing their urban development relatively well, particularly in Asia, the Arab States and Latin America…the urbanization of our planet should not be seen as an outright disaster. It has both positive and negative features. The United Nations has always stressed the negative to raise awareness while not placing enough emphasis on the positive role of cities, including their impact on rural development…This article seeks to redress this imbalance.”

Cities and Biodiversity
What role do you think cities can play in sustaining biodiversity? asks@livingcity2014

Cities play a critical role in sustaining biodiversity, through specific conservation efforts as well as public education and engagement with surrounding rural areas.

City parks are the easiest venues by which to commune with the natural world and with a mix of locals and visitors. Think of the ‘tourist attraction’ that is Central Park in New York City, Barton Creek in Austin, the Viveros Garden in Mexico City, Yamuna Biodiversity Park in Dehli and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.

Environmental education takes the form of lectures, workshops and permanent signage.

Urban gardens and markets are taking center stage around the world. In Oaxaca the Pochote Market brings farmers and cooks together on weekends.
In Cape Town Market Day at the Oranjezicht City Farm takes place Saturdays.

PARK(ing) DayPARK(ing) Day is an annual, worldwide event on September 17 that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good. PARK(ing) Day was started by some San Francisco basket weavers back in 2005 to call attention to the lack of green space in their city.

City Biodiversity Summit 2010 took place concurrently with the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 10) October 24 – 26. Local authorities from around the world exchanged information of biodiversity-related issues and problems in their respective communities and best practice cases for use in their community development.

Transition TownsTransition Towns is an amazing movement that brings communities together to build local ecological resilience. Communities are encouraged to seek out methods for reducing energy use as well as reducing their reliance on fossil fuels. They do this in communities locally, and make friends and have a drink and enjoy their lives while they’re doing it.

EnglandSustainable Urban Fringes (SURF) brings together partners and experts from across the North Sea Region to exchange information and develop a common approach towards the sustainability of urban fringe areas.

We are going to have to raise more food closer to where we live. The age of the 3,000-mile Cesar Salad is coming to an end.

We are sleep walking into the future.

Life is going to be about living locally. Be prepared to be good neighbors.

Please stop referring to yourselves as consumers. Consumers are different than citizens. Consumers do not have obligations, responsibilities and duties to their fellow human beings. As long as you are using the word ‘consumer’ in the public discussion you are degrading the discussion we are having and we are going to continue being clueless.

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Developed by Ron Mader in 1994 as a reporter's notebook, Planeta.com pioneered online reporting focusing on conscious travel around the globe. The award-winning site is geared toward conscious travelers, hosts and everyone inbetween seeking practical suggestions in the realm of eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly travel .